1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to rope fasteners and, more particularly, to rope fasteners which may be attached to the rope anywhere along the length of the rope for hook, tie-down, and rope joining applications, without the use of knots.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many rope fastening devices have been invented to serve as towlines, hooks, and tie-downs, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 931,754 issued to G. S. Greenleaf; U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,958 issued to G. W. Moore; U.S. Pat. No. 1,687,409 issued to R. Weber; U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,762 issued to J. Hogg; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,102 issued to R. G. Smith. Such fasteners all require knots or clamps for attachment of the rope, or, in the alternative, require that the rope be fed through closed eyes of the device. None of the references cited may be fastened to a rope along mid-length without knots or without rope end feed throughs.
Other devices, as typified by U.S. Pat. No. 1,159,501 issued to C. Kimbark; U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,350 issued to W. L. Copelan; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,711 issued to M. Hubbard require the use of rope knots or clamps and do not provide hook or rope joiner functions.